This device relates to attractants for deer and more particularly to portable devices simulating tail wagging by a doe for attracting a buck.
Deer species communicate in a number of ways: through a wide variety of body postures and movements to communicate by sight; through a number of scents and scent organs to communicate by smell; through sound by vocalization, blowing through the nostrils and thrashing branches. Deer, and in particular white tail deer (so named because their tails have a 4-10 inches white underside), use their tails as a visual means of communication with other deer. When a deer suspects trouble it will hold its tail out at about 90 degrees. This signal warns nearby deer that danger is suspected. Deer hold their tails erect like a flag exposing the underside of the tail when the animal is alarmed or running. Deer use a tail waving motion as they flee, probably to warn other deer of danger, and to show other deer which way the flagger is going. For example, mature does will flee an area of danger waving their white flags as they depart to provide a ready reference for her young fawns as they attempt to follow her. When a lead deer flees an area of danger, the tail remains up so the herd can follow the lead deer. Deer also use their tails to communicate with each other in other ways. For example, grown deer wag their tails to signal no danger. Fawns, much like dogs, will wag their tails to signal that they are happy. Does will raise their tails to signal that they are ready to breed.
It is well known that does in heat display their readiness for breeding by raising their tail to expose their rump and consequently the white fluffy underside of their tails. The muscles and tendons in a deer's tail induce the tail to curve upwardly rather than to simply pivot about the base of the tail. Bucks recognize, and are attracted to, the does' tail raising display.
Hunters have devised many decoys that attempt to simulate the tail wagging displays of deer in an attempt to attract deer to harvest. Many deer decoys exist that utilize movement of a deer tail-shaped device to attempt to attract deer. Some such decoys may be as simple as a wind blown suspended deer tail shaped device such as that disclosed in Gollnik, U.S. Pat. No. 6,510,644. Other decoys, such as that disclosed in Terrill, U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,438 utilize a rotatable, tether actuated, hinged rigid deer tail-shaped device whose inner surfaces bear indicia representative of the rump patch and/or flag of a whitetail deer. Some more complex devices, such as that disclosed in Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,408, utilize a mechanical movement generator for moving a deer tail-shaped device in an arcuate motion. Other more complex decoys attach a deer tail-shaped device to a deer rump-shaped body such as the device disclosed in Byers, U.S. Pat. No. 5,546,692 or attach a deer tail-shaped device to a doe-shaped body such as the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,021,594. While all of these devices may be more or less effective in attracting deer, each exhibits deficiencies.
All deer attracting devices must be transported to, and utilized in, the hunting grounds, and thus, large or complicated mechanical devices may be inconvenient to utilize in the hunting grounds. Many of the deer attractants simulate tail motions that might communicate alarm or that danger is suspected. None of the described devices repeatedly mimic the curling motion of a doe's tail when they are signaling their willingness to bread.
Hunters would appreciate a simple to operate compact deer attractant that mimics the tail display motion of a doe in heat.
The chemical message for reproductive readiness is transmitted via the urine. Does often intentionally mark themselves with their own urine when they are in heat. Many scents are commercially available that contain urine of a doe in heat. While the urine of a doe in heat can alone attract bucks, hunters would appreciate a device upon which such doe urine can placed that replicates the tail display motion of a doe in heat.
The disclosed device is a compact, lightweight, simple, easily operated device that mimics the tail curling motion of a doe in heat. The device can easily be transported to, set up in, and operated at a desired hunting location.
According to one aspect of the invention, a deer attracting apparatus includes a flexible deer tail shaped device or a flag, a mount and an actuator. The flag is a flexible flag including a tip, a mounting location, an outer side and an underside. The flexible flag is configured to resemble the shape of a deer's tail when viewed from the underside and is mounted at the mounting location to the mount. The actuator is coupled to the flexible flag adjacent the tip. The flag, mount and actuator are configured to induce the flag to hang from the mount with the tip downward so that the first side is presented toward a desired direction when the actuator is not actuated and during actuation of the actuator, the tip of the flag moves upwardly in a curling fashion that induces the first side of the flag adjacent the tip portion to face the first side of portions of the remainder of the flag and the underside of the flag adjacent the tip portion to be presented toward the desired direction.
According to another aspect of the disclosure, a deer attracting apparatus comprises a pole, a flexible flag and an actuator. The pole has a ground engaging end configured for insertion into soil, a top end displaced from the ground engaging end when the pole is in a use configuration by a length greater than the height of a deer's hind quarters and a stop disposed between the ground engaging end and the top end at a height above the ground engaging end approximating the height of a deer's hind quarters when the ground engaging end is received in the soil. The flexible flag includes a tip, a mounting location, an outer side and an underside. The flexible flag is configured to resemble the shape of a deer's tail when viewed from the underside and is mounted at the mounting location to the pole adjacent the stop. The underside includes a material having a texture and color simulating the texture and color of a deer's tail. The actuator comprises a guide mounted adjacent the top end of the pole and a line coupled at a first end adjacent the tip of the flag and a free end located remotely from the pole. Between the free end and the first end, the line is guided by the guide. The flexible flag, pole and actuator are configured to induce the flag to hang from the pole with the tip downward so that the first side is presented toward a desired direction when the actuator is not actuated and during actuation of the actuator, the tip of the flag moves upwardly in a curling fashion that induces the first side of the flag adjacent the tip portion to face the first side of portions of the remainder of the flag and the underside of the flag adjacent the tip portion to be presented toward the desired direction.
According to yet another aspect of the disclosure, a game attracting apparatus comprises a pole, a flag and an actuator. The pole has a lower end and a top end displaced from the lower end. The flag includes a tip, a mounting location, an outer side and an underside. The flag is configured to resemble the shape and color of a deer's tail when viewed from the underside and is mounted at the mounting location to the pole at a location above the lower end. The actuator is coupled to the flag adjacent the tip of the flag. The flag, pole and actuator are configured to induce the flag to hang from the pole with the tip downward so that the outer side is presented toward a desired direction when the actuator is not actuated and so that, during actuation of the actuator, the tip of the flag moves upwardly so that the underside of the flag is presented toward the desired direction.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Like reference characters tend to indicate like parts throughout the several views.